My cloud storage is full and wants me to pay — what are my options?
Where the space has actually gone, what is safe to remove, and how to decide between paying, moving providers and keeping your own copy.
beginner1 hr3 min read
Data & Backups
Not losing things, and getting them back when you do.
61 guides in Technology
My computer is asking for a BitLocker recovery key — what do I do?
The blue screen asking for a 48-digit key is not a fault or a scam. Where the key is actually stored, why the screen appeared, and what to do if you cannot find it.
beginner20 min5 min readWhy did my files disappear when cloud sync switched on?
They are nearly always still there. Sync clients move folders and replace file contents with placeholders — how to tell which happened and how to get everything local again.
beginner30 min4 min readHow do I back up my photos automatically?
Setting up photo backup that runs without you thinking about it, and why one copy in the cloud is not a backup.
beginner45 min2 min readHow do I keep important documents safe?
Which documents need physical originals, how to digitise the rest, and how to store both so they're findable when needed.
beginner2 hr2 min readHow do I move my photo library from iPhone to Android, or the other way?
The transfer route that preserves dates, albums and video quality — and the four things that reliably get mangled if you use the wrong one.
intermediate2 hr3 min readWhat would I actually lose if my computer died tomorrow?
Most backups protect the wrong things. This is the hour that finds what is genuinely irreplaceable on your machine — and it is rarely what people assume.
beginner1 hr4 min readHow do I get back the earlier version of a file I saved over?
Deleting a file is the easy case. Saving over it with something worse is the hard one, and the recovery is different — version history rather than the recycle bin. Where to look, in what order, and how long you have.
beginner20 min8 min readHow do I move everything to a new computer?
Getting files, settings, browser data and licences onto a new machine without leaving anything behind on the old one.
beginner3 hr2 min readHow do I organise thousands of photos?
Consolidating from every device, deleting ruthlessly, and a structure that stays manageable as it grows.
beginner3 hr2 min readShould I use iCloud Photos or Google Photos?
They solve the same problem differently — the four differences that actually decide it, and why neither answer changes the need for a separate backup.
beginner15 min3 min readWhy has my Time Machine backup failed or got stuck?
Stuck on preparing, failing with a verification error, or running for days without finishing. The five things that actually cause it, in the order worth checking, and when a backup history has to be abandoned rather than repaired.
intermediate40 min6 min readHow do I check my backup is actually working?
Backup software reporting success is not evidence. Here is the twenty-minute test that turns a hopeful backup into a proven one, and what each failure means.
beginner40 min4 min readHow do I safely get rid of an old phone or laptop?
How to wipe a device properly before selling, donating or recycling it — and why deleting files isn't enough.
beginner1 hr3 min readHow do I share a file so only the right person can open it?
The default sharing setting on every cloud service is convenience, not privacy. What the settings actually mean, which to use when, and how to take access back once a link has escaped.
beginner20 min7 min readHow do I turn off OneDrive or iCloud Drive without losing my files?
Unlinking is safe only in a specific order: download everything, copy it out, verify the copy, then unlink. Doing it the other way round is how people lose the lot.
intermediate45 min4 min readWhere should I keep my files — external drive, network drive or cloud?
The four places household files can live, judged against the five ways files are actually lost, and the combination that covers all of them without over-engineering it.
beginner30 min5 min readHow do I use cloud storage properly?
The difference between sync, backup and archive, and how to structure cloud storage so you can find things.
beginner45 min2 min readShould I buy an SSD or a hard drive for backups?
Which drive type suits which job, why the answer for backups differs from the answer for everyday use, and what actually determines how long a drive survives.
beginner15 min3 min readWhat happens to my files if I stop paying for cloud storage?
Uploads stop at once, the account goes read-only, and after a published grace period the service starts deleting what is over the free limit. Here is the sequence and how to get out cleanly.
beginner25 min3 min readHow do I go paperless without losing everything?
The scanning is the easy part. What decides whether it works is the naming, the retention rules and the fact that a digital archive with one copy is worse than the shoebox it replaced.
intermediate2 hr4 min readHow do I make sure an old hard drive cannot be read?
When erasing is enough, when destruction is warranted, and the safe way to do each — including what to do with a drive from a computer that no longer starts.
intermediate45 min3 min readHow do I share photos with family without emailing them?
Shared albums, links and messaging compared on quality and privacy, and the arrangement that works when the family uses different phones.
beginner25 min3 min readShould I back up my whole computer or just my files?
A disk image restores the machine; a file backup restores your life. They solve different problems, cost different amounts, and most households should end up with both.
intermediate30 min4 min read
Going deeper: DecisionHQ
Product and option comparisons with explicit criteria, rather than a single recommendation.